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Cape Town - Wayne Rooney wants to use the recent upward momentum that Everton have gained to end the year on a high.
The Toffees have four wins in their last five games, beating West Ham United 4-0, under former interim boss David Unsworth, ahead of victories over Huddersfield, Apollon and Newcastle, along with a 1-1 draw with Liverpool, under new manager David Moyes.
Rooney, who was the hero in the Merseyside derby with an equalising penalty, also netted the winner in the 1-0 defeat of Newcastle on Wednesday - for his 10th goal of the season.
Fixtures come thick and fast for Premier League teams in the upcoming weeks, while up next for Everton are two home ties, against struggling Swansea and champions Chelsea before travelling to take on West Brom and Bournemouth, all before a New Year's Day clash with Manchester United.
Rooney said: "It was a tough game. We’ve come here and, although Newcastle haven’t been on a great run of form, it’s always a difficult game, especially when you’re looking to pick up three points.
"We dug in, defended really well and made the most of the chances we had. We’re delighted and it’s a great win for us.
"I’ve scored quite a few goals here - it’s a ground I enjoy playing at. Thankfully today it’s got us three points.
"We know it’s a difficult period coming on, the Christmas period is always difficult. It’s challenging for all of the players. We have to look at these next few games over Christmas, try and get as many points as we can and see how we come out of it.
"If we come out of it in a higher league position than we are, then I’m sure we’ll reassess our goals for the end of the season."
The Toffees host rock-bottom Swansea City at Goodison Park on Monday evening having not tasted defeat in their last four games.
Kick off is at 22:00.
